Scenes from Basyoun

One of our daily activities (at least when the dust isn't too bad!) is to take a late afternoon stroll through the streets and lanes of my husband's hometown.  Sometimes we head out into the countryside to wander past the fields while other days we take the more bustling route through downtown.  Either way our choice is usually made here at the intersection of our road with the main street through Basyoun.

The grass park with benches is a welcome new addition.

Here our shadows precede us into town.

In Egypt, everything from carts to trucks are all brightly festooned. Here a two-horse cart is taking a dinner break.

Scenes along the main road.

Egyptian butcher shops take some getting used to for those of us raised on neatly packaged, refrigerated meat.  These beef portions hang where road dust, flies and all sorts of other things can get at them.  I just tell myself that it is yet another reminder of the power and adaptability of the human immune system.

 

A typical example of a public bus and another reason why Reda and I are really looking forward to having our own car.

I love to "vehicle watch" while Reda and I are out and about in Egypt.  Seating such as this is a common sight.

Here's another one that caught my eye.

Downtown Basyoun.

The little black "half-cars" are called Took-Tooks and they almost outnumber people here in Basyoun.

Leaving the main street and winding up and down the side lanes is our prefered route for the walk home.  Less traffic and fewer crowds make for a more leisurely pace.

A grain shop.

Thirsty Egyptians can obtain refreshment at cart stands such as this or from wandering vendors who carry a large jug of tea or juice strapped to their shoulder.  Tempting as many of the juice concoctions look, I stick to bottled water.

An intersection of side lanes in Basyoun.

I was initially quite surprised but the Mouse is here in Egypt too.  Unfortunately, they don't always get the spelling on his name right.

Street-side shops selling roasted chicken were quite common in Istanbul as well.  This is one of a dozen or so shops like this in the Basyoun area.

Roasted nuts and seeds of seemingly every variety are a very popular snack item and stands such as this are on just about every corner.

The local Basyoun Post Office.  Although a newer, more modern version is being built a few blocks away, it simply doesn't match this one for nostalgic charm.

March 29th, 2010

Market Mondays

My poor husband.  Every Monday I am here in Basyoun finds him waking up to a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed wife anxious to hit the dusty streets of the local marketplace and put his hard-earned bargaining skills to the test.  Even when we buy nothing, I still get a thrill from weaving our way through the stalls, dodging donkey carts and fellow shoppers, while eyeing all of the brightly colored wares.  To him, this is simply "home" but to me, the weekly Basyoun market is still exotic Egypt.

That's Reda in the lower left finding us a path through the throng.

Cars, animals and people all share the right-of-way here in Egypt.  The rule seems to be "whoever gets there first."

People come to the market in Basyoun from all over: by bus, by truck, by cart, by foot, even by camel.

The streets are always crowded but that's part of what makes the market experience so much fun.

March 26th, 2010

A Walk Along the Nile...

Today Reda and I decided to brave the dust and take a stroll through the Nile countryside surrounding Basyoun.  The sun was bright but not too warm and there was just enough of a breeze to keep the mosquitos and flies at bay.  In short, a pretty pefect day.

Since the Aswan Dam was completed permanent structures like this raised road have been built.  The floodplain is to the left and is always full with crops.  The elevation also provides for a really nice view.

Every so often along the road there is a packed dirt trail leading down the banks.  Having grown up the states, I have both an overdeveloped sense of privacy and a very strong aversion to planting my feet where they don't belong, but Reda assured me that these are public access points and the Nile is open to all.  So, we took advantage of several of these trails to get a little closer to this historic waterway.

Classic views along the banks.

Honey is produced along the banks of the Nile as well and is one of my favorite Egyptian delicacies.

Livestock abounds, especially here in the countryside.  Here a white goat watches us stroll on by.

The Nile River.  What more can I add?

This cow seemed to be very curious about us as we stood on the bank and enjoyed the view of the river.

Of course our curiousity was more peeked by these fishermen gathering in their nets.

The local dogs were unimpressed by all of us.

Reda took this portrait of me standing along the banks of the Nile.

And I took this one of us at the head of another trail.

A herd of goats relaxing in their pen along the bank.

More scenes from along the Nile.

Structures such as this are a very common sight.

And views along the bank like this one make every dusty step worthwhile.

Our trail back to the main road.

A view along the way.

The road home.

Mrach 15th, 2010

Reda's Birthday

Today was my husband's birthday and we decided to celebrate by heading to the nearby city of Tanta.  After completing some necessary business, we headed to our favorite local haunt: Paccino's Coffee Shop.

We discovered this cafe during my visit last November. 

Free wireless internet and a drink menu which includes everything from lattes to smoothies to hot cider. You just gotta love it.

Our favorite table is in the back corner looking out toward the rest of the cafe...

...and up at the legends of rock and roll.

Our usual fare: two lattes and a water.

Scenes from Tanta:

The Tanta Bus Station:

Yours truly waiting for a bus back to Basyoun.  Words are insufficient to explain how glad I am to have Reda to navigate the maelstrom of the Egyptian public bus system for me.  To put it short, there are too many people, too few buses and too much of a "survival of the fittest" attitude towards obtaining a seat on one of them.  Imagine the chaos of 50 people pushing and shoving to try and get onto a bus that seats 15.  The pictures below are a case in point.

Fortunately, with a little patience, foresight and luck it is possible to avoid the worst of the crowds and get a seat with a minimum amount of fuss.  However, both Reda and I will be very very glad when we can get a car of our own and these bus-capades are far behind us.